The Rootbeer Stand In Corbin Kentucky Opens For The Season

She called, breathless last night to inform me that one of my favorite restaurants on earth has opened for the season. Here's an old report I penned on this venerable burger drive in:

After a brief tumultuous relationship with A&W Corp. The Rootbeer Stand has returned to its' indie roots and not coincidentally,its' former glory.Set on the side of 18th St. for the last 50 or so years this is a classic,Southern drive-in with curb service and prices that beggar the imagination[$1.60 hamburgers].They're legendary for the foot long hotdogs but I've always gotten the same thing;Hamburger,Fries and Rootbeer[$4.20]the hamburger is the kind of loose,misshaped patty your grandma made you in a cast iron skillet, the fries are the crinkle cut variety, invariably perfectly cooked and served in a yeoman portion, the Rootbeer is draught and comes in a frosted pint glass with a handle.

Atmosphere,as you might imagine is stellar.Go at a sunset and watch the sun disappear behind the nearby Appalachians,the long yellow bulbs will click on as the lightning bugs begin blinking on the lawn of the nearby high school.

Carloads of good,country folk start pouring in and feeding well and cheaply on the gravel parking lot.In a world of Sonics this little joint has some serious Chow magic.

Polly's Freeze, a seasonal soft-serve and burger stand in Edwardsville, IN, Just off I-64 at exit 118, Opened March 15 for it's 75th year (plus or minus) season. That landmark event has been the official "Welcome to Spring" in this are for over three generations.

Great website. A warning needs to be posted on the "chuckwagon", it's a frozen patty of indeterminate meat that's dunked in hot fat. It's the only thing on the menu that's not good. Good headsup on the chili bun, a southeastern Kentucky regional specialty. Lots of good ones in the area, even quick marts have a crockpot on the counter serving a version, most places sell them for .75 cents to 1.50.

The Rootbeer Stand sounds like my kind of place. How can you resist a place that makes their own root beer? I am hoping to visit that area soon, since a buddy works at the University of the Cumberlands and we will definitely stop in.

One of my favorite places for home made root beer, Woody's Drive In in Fremont, Ohio is also very close to opening for the season.

pineyhill, the Frosty Mug drive-in in Holmen just opened last Friday. We were there Monday and had their junior burgers, which is our favorite thing there. Although they have a batter fried pork chop sandwich that is next on my list. It's probably not a Davydd type pork temderloin.

scrumptiouschef's description of the chuckwagon is interesting. I have had that from time to time over the years, and think I liked it OK, don't remember hating it. It might have been the crunch or the condiments more than what was inside.

But up here in the Midwest a chuckwagon is also a cold sandwich consisting of bologna, ham and some other meat, like salami, maybe, and one or two of the common cheeses.

Roadfood has featured Bloedow's Bakery in Winona Minnesota. They have a cold case in the store, which features items from a local catering service, soups, beans, sandwiches, etc. The chuckwagon is a regular thing to find there.

You will like Ardy & Ed's, for sure. Please try my favorite, the ho-made barbecue (sloppy joe). Meanwhile, you are in a great spot to look at Lake Winnebago while you are eating, and if by chance you like trains, there is the CN main line running right across the street. They run 30 to 40 trains a day through there.

Just got a field report from scrumptiouschef senior[my daddy]who lives 10 minutes from the Rootbeer Stand.

"I couldn't even get off the road. The damn place was swarming with people. Had to invent a parking place. The gals recognize my truck so one of em came a running. I had a footlong chili dog with mustard and onions. Best chili I've ever had from there. If anything they're actually better. Washed it down with a mug of homemade rootbeer and a side of crinkle fries."

He went on to mention that he got a dozen chili buns [no dogs] to ferry up to Lexington to take to my sister. I asked if she froze them and he laughed "naw, I reckon she eats on em for about 3 days til they're gone.

Man I miss this little joint. They're doing business the right way in the foothills of the Appalachians.

Just got a field report from scrumptiouschef senior[my daddy]who lives 10 minutes from the Rootbeer Stand.

"I couldn't even get off the road. The damn place was swarming with people. Had to invent a parking place. The gals recognize my truck so one of em came a running. I had a footlong chili dog with mustard and onions. Best chili I've ever had from there. If anything they're actually better. Washed it down with a mug of homemade rootbeer and a side of crinkle fries."

He went on to mention that he got a dozen chili buns [no dogs] to ferry up to Lexington to take to my sister. I asked if she froze them and he laughed "naw, I reckon she eats on em for about 3 days til they're gone.

Man I miss this little joint. They're doing business the right way in the foothills of the Appalachians.

My wife and I will be going down to Pineville tomorrow. After reading your comment, I told her we need to plan on lunch at the Root Beer Stand. It's a little bit out of the way, but not much. It's probably been twenty years or so since it was a weekly stop for me.

Ardy & Ed's in Oshkosh has been open for about a month now. Hopefully I can find time this year to make the trip up there.

Ardy & Ed's...man. That brings back memories. My parents actually MET there when they were in college at UW-Zero (UW-Oshkosh for those of you who don't know the pet name for it). Anyhow. I still remember going there when I was a little kid in the back of my grandparents' 63 chevy. Best root beer around.

Heading to Pineville? Not sure if they're still in business but Flo-Coe cafe on the town square put out one of the best southern breakfasts I've had in my entire life a few years back.

Cathead biscuits with sausage gravy, fried eggs, bottomless coffee, homemade blackberry jelly. I still dream of that meal. Bonus: the cook was an extremely young [possibly a teen] girl. Said her mom taught her everything she knows.

re: cat head biscuits. I never thought about questioning the name. I always reckoned it was because they were the size of a cat's head. I do remember my mom patting them out with her hands, never did use a cutter. She also made angel biscuits with mayo subbing for the lard in the cat heads. hope this helps.

Just to stay vaguely on track, in nearby London Ky there is an outstanding joint called Dairy Dart, whenever our family wanted to branch out from the Rootbeer Stand this is where we'd go. They're no longer a drive in though, you have to walk inside and sit down but they make some of the finest chili buns and shakes I've ever eaten [the pineapple shake will give you fever dreams] 841 S Main StLondon, KY 40741 (606) 864-5051

Heading to Pineville? Not sure if they're still in business but Flo-Coe cafe on the town square put out one of the best southern breakfasts I've had in my entire life a few years back.

Cathead biscuits with sausage gravy, fried eggs, bottomless coffee, homemade blackberry jelly. I still dream of that meal. Bonus: the cook was an extremely young [possibly a teen] girl. Said her mom taught her everything she knows.

When my mil was living, we visited her in Dorton Branch about once a month. Two places I always managed to visit while in Pineville was Flo-Coe cafe and the bootlegger in Wallsend. It's been about two years since we've been back to Pineville and I'll check to see if Flo-Coe's still open.

re: best times to visit the Rootbeer Stand. It's always a madhouse. Cars begin lining up at open and the joint rocks from start to finish. There's a bit of a lull in the mid afternoon, around 3 or so but this restaurant is almost always busy. One method for service that people utilize is to park a couple blocks away and walk up to the takeout window, get the food to go, walk back to vehicle. Of course you miss the fun of the drive in experience that way. And you don't get to drink your rootbeer from a cold mug.

re: best times to visit the Rootbeer Stand. It's always a madhouse. Cars begin lining up at open and the joint rocks from start to finish. There's a bit of a lull in the mid afternoon, around 3 or so but this restaurant is almost always busy. One method for service that people utilize is to park a couple blocks away and walk up to the takeout window, get the food to go, walk back to vehicle. Of course you miss the fun of the drive in experience that way. And you don't get to drink your rootbeer from a cold mug.

Because of it's proximity to Corbin High School, it's pretty busy at 3 p.m. When I was a fairly regular customer, 2 p.m. was about the best time if you wanted to miss most of the crowds.

ces1948 We used to go through Corbin pretty often but I never knew about the Root Beer stand. We always stopped at the Colonel's original cafe. Wish I had known.

Me too.

Can anyone advise out of towners - what are the best times and days to go when it is least crazy?

Our visit saw it packed. We got the last spot and there were a handfull of cars driving around the parking lot. We were in and out in 45 mins max. So while it's busy, our experience was it moved quickly all things considered.

The Root Beer stand has opened! Mom reports that they opened a month or so ago in a late Winter snowstorm! The curb-hops were navigating the mammoth crowds in a flurry. She finally got by there last night for a footlong chili dog, she was not happy with the price, just south of 4 dollars but reported that the meal was a good one.

Scrumptiouschef, that is an awesome story. Also, regarding your comment above from '13, and the note about the $2.70 burgers in the story, your mother and mine should probably get together sometime. Mine is convinced that every single price increase for every good or service since about 1961 has been done deliberately to rip her off.

Understanding that the cost of living's probably quite low in Corbin, those are still perfectly reasonable prices for an indie fast-food restaurant, and actually a few dimes cheaper than many of their peers in the canopied drive-in business around the southeast.